Her father, Ron Howard, is a former actor turned Oscar-winning director. Some of them, like Taraji P. Henson and Berry, began with bit parts on TV. He was born in 1951, in Pasadena, California, to Berniece (Robinson), a socialite, and Chauncey Jerome Hamlin, Jr., an aeronautical engineer. They have always had the range and ability to do so, but now they also have leverage. To be a black woman in Hollywood is to have to be steadfast in the pursuit of ones craft, in the search for basic opportunities. Lynn Whitfield played the title role in the 1991 film The I had the distinct pleasure of watching a full-fledged documentary film about Josephine Baker directly before viewing the HBO made-for-television movie featuring Lynn Whitfield as the beloved late entertainer.I can now compare the HBO movie to the documentary"Chasing A Rainbow;The Life Of Josephine Baker".Here is my verdict;Lynn was excellent in her portrayal of Josephine Baker.She played the role with emotionally driven conviction,energy,and grace.There had to be clever maneuvers creating Josephine's character-nobody can become Josephine Baker,being uniquely who she was,but who could convincingly pull-off her character?Now Lynn Whitfield could not transform to Josephine-incarnate,but what she did do was put her own flair on the role,and did so effectively.Lynn sold herself in every respect.The acting,dancing,comical renditions,and convincing-lip sync of Josephine's real songs were challenges Lynn took head-on.Her portrayal resulted in winning the"Outstanding Lead Actress"Emmy award for 1991,so it worked!Not only was Lynn Whitfield great literally owning the role,but I loved everything else about this movie.All of Lynn's costars are splendid in their respective roles.Now I must bring to attention the character of Sidney Bechet,played stylishly well by Kene Holliday as Josephine's band member best friend.Sidney Bechet may have been an actual person in Josephine's entourage,but his significance in the HBO movie may be questionable.He is clearly what I think intended by the producer to be a phantom-role.By this I mean that the documentary does not refer to a best friend aiding Josephine in major plans and decisions,like the HBO movie does.Josephine was an impetus force all her own in reality.However,the Sidney character in the HBO film was not a bad idea for 2 reasons:it gives the movie viewer an opportunity as to what went on in Josephine's mind and also allowed Lynn Whitfield a chance to express how Josephine felt emotionally about principal decisions-all due to interactive dialogue with Sidney Bechet.The only drawback is that it also makes Josephine appear weak and dependent in her planning,while she was nothing like that.Josephine alone made all of the important decisions and plans throughout her illustrious,colorful and sometimes controversial career.The movie appreciably stayed on track to events and landmarks that took place involving Josephine's life.However,the HBO movie leads you to think she married twice,while the documentary reveals that she married 4 times.Even if the HBO movie producers did not want to put 4 weddings in the script,a brief reference statement perhaps by a cast member would have been appropriate.The HBO movie as the documentary does point out her numerous love affairs with men associated with her in the entertainment business.From portrait painters to Counts,and playboys to producers,she managed to keep a love affair brewing.Although she finalized the divorce of her first husband(Willie Baker)in 1923,she kept the last name throughout the rest of her life.Other than the"best friend"(Sidney Bechet)phantom-role character and the twice married lead-off,the HBO movie was truthful.Basically,the movie is about the little black girl who grew up poor in the then fierce 1920's era St.Louis slum region to become a local sensation of the musical dance theater circuit.Josephine and her entourage,known as"The Dixie Steppers"eventually toured the country,wowing club audiences at full throttle.Once confident enough,the ambitiously motivated group took their sprightly talents to the prestigious Harlem,New York night club scene.This place in the 1920's was true testing ground where again they prevailed with rave reviews.Josephine relished the spotlight and also managed to steal-the-show with her jaunty comical antics.Her colleagues called her Monkey due to her vivacious stage presence and skill in the profound art of improvisation.Meanwhile,a rich American-Carolyne Dudley(the wife of a diplomat)decided to bring a group of musicians to Paris.She wanted to show the French what the "Jazz Age" was all about.Carolyne enlisted Josephine Baker as a member of the entourage that was headed for Paris.Paris instantly fell in love with Josephine's stage performances,and she fell in love with Paris.Although stolen by Paris and missed by New York,France became the launching pad for which Josephine had manifested her talents.The best of her prowess emerged when she met a Count-Giuseppe Pepito Abatino,eloquently portrayed by Ruben Blades.He became her manager.The Count(albeit a murky past)succeeded in making Josephine a very rich and famous international superstar.Josephine found herself in the position of celebrity and was admired while exploited both at the same time.While Josephine flourished the benefits of fame,the French audiences generally regarded her acts as substandard since she did much of her dance performances semi-nude.The French basically place the partially nude,and nude theater performances in a class of their own.She consequently garnered labels such as notorious,scandalous,and dark star.Although aware of this,she saw it as part of the show and did not consider herself a lewd person.The Paris press was quoted with saying;Josephine Baker is right for adventure,never respectability/She may be the toast of the town,but never someone to take home to introduce to Mom.Josephine,nonetheless blossomed in France.She then succeeded on to tour all of Europe to become even more popular,while being shunned by some of the more-conservative types of people.Her life and career,were shaped by the fame,money,lovers,and travel as she danced,sang,and starred in movies.Her brimming talents subsequently led her to patriotic real life roles of war hero(Itelligence for the French Resistance against 1940's Nazi occupation),Political/Civil Rights Activist,and mishap orphan savior(her adopted multi-race"Rainbow Tribe"of 12 children).The HBO movie does enact Josephine Baker for all the major events,trials,triumphs and achievements that constituted her interesting life.I can safely say that the movie does give the viewing audience the big-picture.The movie informs, expresses,enchants as well as entertains,while letting you effectively understand how all that occurred in Josephine Baker's life helped make her an entertainment legend in her day. Sections of this page. Linda quickly rose to international fame, won the Golden Globe, and seemed Reba Nell McEntire was born on Monday, March 28th, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma. She is known for her role as Kaitlin Cooper in the FOX teen drama The O.C., Agnes Andrews in The CW series Gossip Girl and, most recently, Thea Queen / Speedy in Arrow. Sasha got a lot of early modeling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. I don't know thats why i'm asking How tall is Lynn Whitfield? Some sources informed us that they are sisters. She recently starred as Mimi Hynek in the Robert Zemeckis series, Project Blue Book, for History and A&E. All registered. Shane West was born Shannon Bruce Snaith in 1978 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Leah (Launey), a lawyer, and Don Snaith, a drugstore owner. Though their journey in Hollywood has been hard and steep, a number of women have made it to the top. This is certainly a well-intentioned movie, and the star, Lynn Whitfield, certainly gives a very moving performance. Beyonc Knowles-Carter, Jay-Z, Solange Knowles, Samuel L. Jackson, Kelly Rowland, Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Angela Bassett, Lynn Whitfield, Issa Rae, Yara Shahidi, Megan Thee Stallion, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo, and Lil Rel Howery are confirmed to participate with music provided by DJ Millie. She was educated at a private bilingual Spanish/ Actress | Public Figure. Her mother, Jerri Chastain, is a vegan chef whose family is originally from Kansas, and her stepfather is a fireman. Her mother is a founding member of the Baton Rouge chapter of The Links Incorporated and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Whitfield is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. In such .more Get A Copy Kindle Store $9.99 Amazon Stores Libraries Hardcover, 480 pages And of course, theres Dorothy Dandridge, the first black woman nominated for a best actress Oscar for her role in 1954s Carmen Jones, a woman presciently portrayed by Berry in a 1999 biopic, and Cicely Tyson, who at 95 has played strong leading roles throughout her nearly seven-decade career. By age five, Whitfield decided she wanted to be in them. [7]" Whitfield won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role, and said this gave her "the greatest sense of accomplishment and realization of my vision. In 1997, Bassett married actor Courtney B. Vance. In continuing to review African-Americans in film in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now at 1991 with HBO's biographical movie, The Josephine Baker Story. Born in Leningrad, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (now Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation), at age three she began the rigorous training program of a competitive rhythmic gymnast. And theyre not done yet. Whitfield just has that commanding yet sophisticated demeanor that makes dudes want to step to her and women want to be her. Angela Evelyn Bassett. She was named after Tejano singer Selena, who died in 1995.Her first acting role Laura Mennell has maintained a busy and thriving career as an actor. Immediately after Bradley graduated from the Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the youngest of four children. She received a Genie Miranda Taylor Cosgrove was born May 14, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, to Christina (Casey) and Tom Cosgrove, who owns a dry-cleaning business. Kubuya La . If they had used a few photographic techniques, they could have made this a PG movie and appropriate for all. Almost 20 years on, Berry remains the only African-American woman to win a best actress Oscar. Theyre not done yet. Most notably, she took on the role of Winnie Mandela, a South African Activist, in the 1987 film Mandela. From the age of five, Linda Blair had to get used to the spotlight, first as a child model and then as an actress, when out of 600 applicants she was picked for the role of Regan, the possessed child, in The Exorcist (1973). Many of these actresses were first reliable character actors or supporting players in the 1980s and 90s, during a shift in what studios deemed bankable, a time that saw a spate of films targeted to black audiences: Jungle Fever (1991), Berrys big-screen debut; Whats Love Got to Do With It (1993), with Angela Bassetts star-making turn as Tina Turner; Set It Off (1996), with Kimberly Elise as a bank robber; and Eves Bayou (1997), with Lynn Whitfield as the matriarch of an upper-middle-class Southern family. 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